Spurs in Champions League capitulation as Bayern wins
A Champions League finalist for the first time just four months ago, Tottenham is making history again in Europe’s top club competition this season.
The wrong kind of history. Tottenham was picked off repeatedly by Bayern Munich in a humiliating 7-2 loss on Tuesday, the first time the English team has conceded seven goals in a home match in any competition in its 137-year history.
It was also the biggest margin of defeat by a team from England playing at home in any European competition.
Adding insult for Tottenham was the sight of Serge Gnabry, a former player at fierce ri- val Arsenal, scoring four of the goals for Bayern with clinical finishing. All of them came in a wild second half in the Group B game featuring six goals in total.
“Every single touch went in,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said.
While it was a statement win for Bayern, which hasn’t been widely regarded as one of the Champions League favorites amid something of a transitional season for the German club, the manner of the defeat exacerbates the concerns surrounding Tottenham and Pochettino.
Tottenham has been far from its best in the Premier League, squandered a twogoal lead to draw 2-2 at Olympiakos in its opening Champions League game, and was eliminated from the English League Cup by fourth-tier Colchester last week. Pochettino is in his sixth year as manager, leading to fears that Tottenham has gone as far as it can under the Argentine.
“We are very disappointed and very upset,” Pochettino said, “but we have to stay together.” but he’s not finding it so easy early in his second stint in charge.
Madrid’s players roused themselves and recovered to draw 2-2 against their visitors from Belgium, thanks to headers by Sergio Ramos and Casemiro. But qualification for the last 16 is far from the certainty it seemed when the group-stage draw was made.
Having opened the group by being outplayed in a 3-0 loss at Paris Saint-Germain, Madrid — like Tottenham — is in last place on one point. PSG didn’t find its trip to Turkey straightforward on Tuesday, only winning 1-0 win thanks to Mauro Icardi’s first goal for the French club.